Drunken MySpace Pirates Can't Teach

Have you heard about Stacy Snyder?

I wrote about her on Blogher, where we cover the impact of social media, among other things. It's been argued there and in many oher places that Snyder should have made her MySpace private, or not had one at all. And it's not clear whether or not she shared her page with her students, or "friended" them, or otherwise involved them in her online life. That does muddy the waters, although still not so much that I can't see the bottom.

But the issue at hand for me is that she was accused of promoting underage drinking, although she is now 27. This is why her dean changed her degree, days before graduation, from education to English (because it's okay for English majors to be drunk and disorderly Captain Jackie Sparrows.)

I have a MySpace page. I know, right? So silly. But it's simple fun for me in a land of complication and oh-so-seriousness. I don't have to DO anything with it. I'm far too old to be promoting underage anything. I don't tell my (over the age of reason) students that I have one, but I do discuss the benefits and dangers of having an online presence quite openly with them. This is relatively new stuff, and arguably speaking, there's not much you CAN'T tell from some of their profiles. Whether it's at all accurate, or stuff they want the world at large to know, is another story. I tell them that nothing is private, really, if you put it online (and this I know for sure.) And that this is the persona, real or make-believe, that represents them in this venue. I take this responsibility very seriously, because I know these things can cause problems as much as they can be harmless. I doubt I would have graduated from high school, much less college, if I'd had these digital distractions then. Too much too soon.

I'm personally more offended by the sea of glittery hearts and seizure-inducing slideshows myself, but that's just me. And also, if one more kid who's only seen gang signs in the movies insists on making one in EVERY photo - especially if you've never been out of the suburbs? Stop. Someone stop them. It's a public service, I swear.

I don't think I say anything out of order on my silly little page. I get fun notes from some friends, and I keep up with some tour schedules of some bands that I like. I do not post any pictures of myself that one couldn't find on Flickr, and I do not own a pirate hat, so that danger is out. But what does concern me is how anything can be twisted. How any "code of conduct" can be broadened after the fact to include the use of a media that we are all really just starting to come to terms with as a part of our lives, and in fact our reputations. I do agree that setting an example is important. But in this case, I would only find this fair if the Facebook and MySpace pages of every Millersville University education major were examined. I don't know Snyder or anything about her social life other than what one silly photo would suggest. (and shudder to think if that was all someone had to go on to judge me and my personal and professional integrity.) I do know that she has two little kids and was going to school, ostensibly working, and somehow managed to get out to a party two years ago. I imagine some of her classmates might have equally engaging photos of themselves posted in their profiles. Just a guess.

I am biased, because I believe that messing with someone's degree - the investment of time and energy it takes to set and meet a career goal, particularly as a nontraditional student - is serious stuff. If there's a good reason here, I'll be really interested to learn about it, and of course believe that consequences are non-MTV-style real world stuff. If there was a real wrong done, so be it. I know it's important - the well-being of students is important, and it's even more important to put good teachers in classrooms.

But on some level, come on, and I'll still question whether the punishment met the crime.

Because as you'll find in this article,

Fact: The Millersville U. mascot is a swarthy, eye patch-wearing pirate named the Marauder, with a colorful sidekick parrot who goes by the handle Skully.

Comments

[Kathy]

I totally agree with you: they shouldn't mess with her degree. She wasn't promoting underage drinking, and wasn't doing anything illegal. Thanks for posting about this article.